Chopping-machine.



J. J. KILMAN.

CHOPPING MACHINE- APPLICATION FILED JUNE so, 1908.

Patented FBI). 8; 1910.

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J. J. KILMAN. ,GHOPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE so, was.

Patented Feb.8,1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. KILMAN, OF FERRIS, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO J. R. MQCOWN,OF FERRIS, TEXAS.

OHOPPING-MACHINE.

Application filed June 30, 1908.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

Serial No. 441,091.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. KILMAN, citizen of the United States,residing at Ferris, in the county of Ellis and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Chopping-Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in choppingmachines.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple machine of superiorconstruction ar ranged to meet the requirements to which it might besubjected and to carry out its operation in a practical and efficientmanner.

Finally the object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described that will be strong, durable and efiicient, andsimple, and comparatively inexpensive to construct, also one in whichthe several parts will not be liable to get out of working order.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction and operation, anexample of which is described in the following specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of my machine, Fig. 2 is a detail of the hoeconnections, Fig. 3 is a detail of the hoes, Fig. 4 is a longitudinalsectional view, Fig. 5 is a detail of one of the raising devices, Fig. 6is a partial elevation of one of the adjusting devices, and Fig. 7 is adetail of one of the frame hangers.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the central beam of the framewhich is bowed upward as shown in Fig. 4. At its forward end the beamhas pivotal connection in the usual way to a front axle 2 supported onground wheels 3 and having connection with a. tongue 4. The upward bowof the central beam permits the front wheels to pass under it in turningaround and thus the machine is permitted to be turned around in a verylimited space. At its rear end the beam is secured upon an axle 5 whichin turn is supported on rear ground wheels 6 having clutch hubs 7.Collars 8 are set-screwed upon the axle 5 upon each side of the beam andare provided with downwardly project ing frame hangers 9 having aplurality of openings 10.

Horizontal frames or castings 11 are provided at their central rearportions with pivot hooks 12 adapted to engage in the openings of thehangers, as shown in Fig. 7. The height of the rear ends of the framesmay thus be varied by engaging the hooks in the difierent openings. Theframes extend forward and are provided at their inner sides withbearings 13 which receive for wardly extending shafts l l. At theirforward ends the shafts have bearings in hangers 15 arranged to beadjusted as will be hereinafter described. On the shafts forward of theframes, hubs 16 are secured and provided with a plurality of radiallyextending arms 17 of which there may be any number desired. These arms17 are designed to support hoes or chopping blades 18 and to be revolvedtransversely of the machine. In order to prevent damage to the hoes uponencountering obstructions as they revolve, they are secured to brackets19 pivoted on the ends of the arms by bolts 20 and provided each with acurved slot 21 in concentric relation to center of the bolt 20 receivinga pin 22 projecting thereinto fro-m the arm as shown in Fig. 2. Thisarrangement permits the bracket and hoe to swing upward a limiteddistance. For holding the bracket in place under normal workingcondition, .1 lug 28 projecting from the bracket is connected by acoiled spring 24: with a lug 25 extending from the arm.

Different forms of hoes may be used and theymay be of various sizes. InFig. 3 I have shown two forms of hoes, one having teeth or fingers 26which is preferable under some conditions.

Suitable means, hereinafter described, being provided for revolving theshafts, the hoes are swung transversely of the machine and consequentlyof the rows as the machine is drawn forward and the cotton chopped orblocked out. It is obvious that the rows might be irregular and wide ornarrow and that some means for adjusting the shafts must be provided. Incarrying out this feature, a cross bar 27 is secured on the beam 1 so asto project on the sides thereof and is'substantially square in crosssection. On the ends of this bar sleeves 28 carrying inwardly extendingrack bars 29 are mounted to slide. The rack bar of each sleeve isadapted to be engaged by a toothed segment 30 carried on the lower endof a lever 31 pivoted on the side of the bar 29, so that when this leveris swung, the sleeve will be slid longitudinally on the bar and beforereferred to and when the said lever is swung, the forward end of theshaft is raised or lowered. Thus either shaft can be adjustedvertically.

It is apparent that the levers 32 having connection with the shafts llby the hangers 15 and being pivoted to the sleeves 28, when the sleevesare moved by the levers 31 and the rack bars 29, the shafts and hoeswill be adjusted transversely of the machine and thus to suit narrow orwide rows.

For imparting motion to the shafts and revolving the hoes, a bevel gear35 is secured on each shaft 14: adjacent the frame 11. The frames 11 areprovided with bearings 36 supporting shafts 37 at substantially rightangles to the shafts 14-. These shafts 37 carry on their inner endsbevel gears 38 meshing with the gears 35; while on their outer ends,stepped sprockets 39 are fixed. One of the steps of each sprocket 39 isconnected by a sprocket chain 40 with the corresponding step of astepped sprocket 4-1 having a clutch hub 42. In this way a variabletransmission is provided as by changing the chains from one step to theother, the speed may be varied. The clutch hubs 42 of the sprocket arenormally held in engagement with the clutch hubs 7 by links ll; engagingloose rings It mounted on the hubs 42. These links have pivotalconnection with levers as pivoted below said connection, to collars 46held in position on the axle 5 by braces 47 extending from the beam 1 asshown in Fig. 1. By swinging the levers toward the beam, the sprocketsll are moved inward and their clutch hubs 4-2 drawn out of engagementwith the clutch hubs 7 and the transmission of motion interrupted.

A seat as is mounted on the beam 1 in a position to permit the operatorto grasp the various levers, while a foot rest 49 is supported from thebeam.

Hangers 51 are supported from the under side of frame 11, as shown inFig. l. These hangers carry at their lower ends diverging horizontalarms 52- from which short standards project downward. Cultivators aresuitably supported on the standards so as to follow the hoes or choppingblades.

IVhat I claim, is:

1. In a cotton chopping machine, the combination with a wheel supportedframe, and the axles thereof, of a transverse bar mounted upon the framenear its middle, a sleeve slidable upon said bar, means for manuallyshifting said sleeve, a chopper frame hung from the rear axle at itsrear extremity and supported from said sleeve at its forward extremity,means by which vertical adjustment of the forward extremity of saidframe may be manually accomplished, a shaft rotatably mounted in thechopper frame longit-udinally thereof, mechanism communicating rotationto said shaft from the rear axle, and hoe blades resiliently supportedfrom said shaft.

2. In a cotton chopping machine, the combination with front and rearwheels and axles, of a beam extending between said axles, a barextending transversely of said beam in its middle portion, a sleeveslidable upon said bar at each side of the beam levers adapted toactuate said sleeves transversely upon the bar, a bell crank leverpivoted upon each sleeve, a frame mounted at each side of the beam,having its rear end pivotally supported from the rear axle and its frontend suspended from an arm of the bell crank lever on the same side ofthe beam, a shaft rotatably mounted in each frame, mechanism adapted tocommunicate rotation to each shaft from the rear axle and hoes mountedon said shafts, resiliently supported.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN J. KILMAN.

IVitnesses E. V. HARDWAY, LELAN LEWIS.

